Tea and coffee farmers in Nyaruguru District say that these crops have become the foundation of their development, as they now earn substantial monthly income from farming.
Tea is traditionally considered a key cash crop that generates foreign currency. The people of Nyaruguru can attest to this, as they have benefited financially and continue to work hard to increase production.
Déo Ngarukiye, a tea farmer from Ruramba Sector and a member of the COTENYA Cooperative, says he began tea farming with a plot of just five Ares (500 square meters), earning only 5,000 Rwandan francs (Frw). Today, he has become a professional tea farmer with eight hectares of land, earning up to 1 million Frw per month.
He said, “I have significantly improved my family’s life thanks to tea farming, and I will continue to grow tea and increase my yield to keep progressing.”
Eliezer Nkomejwenayo has been growing coffee for 15 years and now owns 2,000 coffee trees. He said that coffee has transformed his life.
” I built a house for his family and constructed another building with four rental units, which generate income at a nearby trading center. Coffee farming has also helped him pay school fees for my three children.” He testified.
“Each season, I earn between 900,000 Frw and 1 million Frw. Coffee truly feels like our gold. Since the price of coffee reached 1,000 Frw per kilogram, everyone wants to plant at least 300 coffee trees.” He added.
Dr. Emmanuel Murwanashyaka, the Mayor of Nyaruguru District, said that in the fiscal year 2024/2025, tea and coffee farming brought in over 21 billion Frw for farmers. The district currently has four tea factories, with a fifth one under development.
“We are investing heavily in tea and coffee farming because we know it boosts the local economy. The data shows that around 21 billion Frw was distributed among the community from their produce, this is clear evidence of development and improved livelihoods.” He stated.
Dr. Murwanashyaka also noted that the district has plans to expand tea plantations by 600 to 800 hectares each year. They are also working to bring coffee seedlings closer to farmers to help them increase the area under cultivation.
“We’re fortunate in Nyaruguru, tea and coffee are grown in different zones, so there’s no competition for land between the two crops.” He added.
In Nyaruguru district, tea is mainly grown in high-altitude sectors such as Kivu, Nyabimata, Ruheru, Ruramba, Kibeho, Munini, and Mata, while coffee dominates in Cyahinda, Nyagisozi, Rusenge, Ngera, and Ngoma sectors.
According to Nelson Muhayimana, the district officer in charge of cash crops, Nyaruguru District has 9,000 hectares of tea plantations and over 5 million coffee trees.
There are over 6,000 tea farmers organized in cooperatives, more than 3,000 coffee farmers supplying eight processing factories, and over 12,000 workers employed in tea harvesting across the district.
